Two weeks ago, the FIE Congress passed a series of new non-combativity rules that will bring material changes to Epee, and to a lesser extent, Foil fencing. There’s a lot to track here, so I’ve tried my best to break down the nuances of the rules below.

I’d like to qualify this post with a few things:

This is my interpretation, so don’t take it for the gospel. The rules committee (and others far more qualified than I) will likely provide more guidance shortly. This is just to put the new rules on your radar.

These changes are not immediate. From what I understand, they will not come into effect during an Olympic qualification cycle. Timing of enaction is to be determined.

Change #1: Criteria of time has changed to strike the word “approximately” from the rulebook (t.124)…in other words, it could be called like a shotclock now.

Why this is Noteworthy: The rule used to read: “There is unwillingness to fight when there is approximately one minute of fencing without a hit or without a hit scored off the target.”

“Approximately one minute” allowed referees to exercise their judgment to when to apply the rule, and were explicitly told not call non-combativity like a shot clock. The deletion of “approximately” seems to indicate that the rule will be moving towards a shot clock interpretation that will take fencers to the next period after EXACTLY one minute has passed.

Does this mean that a Fencer might now be mid-fleche and get a halt called on him/her? It’s unclear at this time; however, the new rules do say that the scoring machines will get a shot clock timer on them, which leads me to believe they could lock out any action after the one minute timer runs out.

Change #2: Non-Combativity will no longer advance the bout to the next period

Why this is Noteworthy: Under the current rules, when non-combativity is called, it advances to the next period without a one-minute break (and into priority if called in the third period).

Under the new rules, this is no longer the case. If non-combativity is called, it institutes a new set of penalties (more on that below), but the bout will continue without advancing to the next period.

Change #3: There will be penalties for non-combativity, depending on who’s behind, or if the score is tied

Why this is Noteworthy: This is where the rule change gets a little trickier. Let’s consider two scenarios under the new rules:

Scenario A: “The two fencers are equal: the Referee will sanction both fencers with a red card.” Example: Fencer A and Fencer B are tied at 8-8. One minute of fencing happens with no touch scored. Red card is given to Fencer A and Fencer B. The score is then 9-9.

Scenario B: “The two fencers are not equal: the Referee will sanction the fencer with the lower score with a red card.” Example: Fencer A is in the lead with a score of 10-8. One minute of fencing happens with no touch scored. Because Fencer B is down, Fencer B receives a red card. The score is now 11-8.

Change #4: Non-Com Black Cards can be applied.

Why this is Noteworthy: It’s noteworthy for many reasons. There are additional criteria to apply non-combativity that result in a black card. Under the passed proposal, the new rule reads: “For each minute of unwillingness to fight the above “red card” sanction will be applied by the Referee, until one or both fencers/teams are assigned three red cards. In the case of a further unwillingness to fight minute, one or both teams who already received three red cards, will receive the black card and the fencer that is awarded a black card is disqualified.” It sounds like a double black card could happen.

Change #5: Non-combativity cards are to be considered independent of standard penalties

Why this is Noteworthy: All the cards for non-combativity discussed above don’t follow the standard sequence of penalization. So, for example: Period #1, Fencer A is up on Fencer B with a score of 6-3. One minute of fencing transpires without a touch. Fencer B receives a red card, giving Fencer A a 7-3 lead. On the next action, Fencer B initiates a corps-a-corps to avoid a touch. This would give Fencer B a yellow card, not an additional red card. It has been proposed to incorporate a new “P Red-Card” so that the non-combativity penalties are easier to track. Black cards received for triple non-combativity will also not be subject to the FIE’s suspension of 60 days for receiving a black card.

My Thoughts: This is a much more benign proposal compared to the non-combativity rules that were rejected at last year’s FIE Congress. The enaction of these rules will have interesting implications for Epee tactics, and will force the Fencer with a lower score to act far more aggressively when down to avoid getting red carded into a deeper hole, while Fencers with a lead will be able to more easily anticipate when his/her opponent’s attacks are coming, as the onus to attack will soon fall on the opponent with the lesser score.

It would seem the intent of these rule changes was two-fold: to make fencing more spectator-friendly, and to drive more action in the bout. I’m not sure these rules will be able to further those goals. By eliminating the rule that advances the bout to the next period, two Fencers in an individual event with a tied score could still show an unwillingness to fence and just get P-Red-Carded (that sounds weird) all the way into overtime.

I don’t love the idea of a black card in teams for non-combativity, and it seems overly harsh to disqualify both teams.

Non-combativity has seen many different iterations since it was first introduced, and it seems to change now every three years. Sometimes for the better (e.g. eliminating the “15 seconds of no blade contact rule”), and sometimes for the worse (e.g. black cards for teams). This won’t be the last time the rule changes. It’ll be intriguing to see the behaviors these new rules bring to the piste.

]]>https://thefencingcoach.com/2018/12/19/the-fencing-coachs-initial-reactions-to-the-fies-new-non-combativity-rules/feed/0Final_2013_Fencing_WCH_EFS-IN_t210501dlehfeldtRegarding Sexual Harassment and Assault in Fencing: Part III – We Can Do Betterhttps://thefencingcoach.com/2018/03/05/regarding-sexual-harassment-and-assault-in-fencing-part-iii-we-can-do-better/
https://thefencingcoach.com/2018/03/05/regarding-sexual-harassment-and-assault-in-fencing-part-iii-we-can-do-better/#respondMon, 05 Mar 2018 13:37:05 +0000http://thefencingcoach.com/?p=1098

We now know there is a sexual harassment and abuse problem, so what can we do to fix it? My survey asked for solutions for creating a more positive and safe environment for everyone.

Going forward, if you were harassed or assaulted, how would you handle it? Who would you report it to?

This was a little bit of a leading question, as I wanted the women taking my survey to take a moment to envision what they would do if they were harassed or assaulted in the future. Sometimes that moment of visualization might actually change a person’s future response.

A good chunk of the responses said they “didn’t know” what they would do, which is an entirely fair, reasonable response. Another subset expressed regret for how they handled their past situation of harassment or assault.

Despite many who said they would go directly to USA Fencing (or their own governing organization) or SafeSport, there was a significant number of responses that expressed distrust in the current American fencing systems:

“Reporting to SafeSport or USFencing [sic] does no good.”

“I’ve kept a burn book for a while documenting every instance where I’ve been sexually harassed. I don’t have faith in the current organization to take my complaints seriously.”

“I don’t know! I can’t take the safesport process seriously (both because of underwhelming responses to problems and because of a dismissive attitude on the part of USFA leadership), but I would want people to know and be able to avoid the person/situation. I’d probably start with the tournament organizers.”

“I honestly don’t know. I went through hell when I reported the assault and I don’t think I ever want to go through that again. I would probably just quit fencing because USA Fencing and SafeSport were no help to me and were great at victim shaming/blaming.”

“As a tournament official, I am a mandated reporter, so I would report it through the appropriate SafeSport channel. However, depending on the circumstances, I might also feel compelled to report it to local law enforcement, because I may not trust USFA/USOC procedures to follow through with sufficient rigor and speed.”

“I would talk about it with my friends, but probably try to handle it on my own. I have no faith in US fencing or SafeSport to take action and do the right thing.”

Most importantly, there was a fear of repercussions for reporting:

“Fear of repercussions would prevent me from reporting.”

“I don’t know. I don’t know that I would feel safe to report it and maintain anonymity or avoid negative repercussions.”

“Now? I don’t know if would. Negative social consequences still exist for reporting this.”

“I wouldn’t report it. If I said something, I would be kicked out of the club and my competitive career would be over.”

“When I was being harassed, I felt like I would damage my team if I reported it. Others on my team felt similar pressure. We did not want to lose our scholarships or hurt the team by attacking our coach. I wish that we had felt more empowered and that we weren’t afraid of impacting our performances, teammates, and didn’t feel as though we would lose everything by reporting our abuser. I wish we had realized that the abuse was not worth tolerating.”

“There is unspoken pressure within the community not to report. The fencing community is small, and to report harassment would have ramifications within the social structure of the community. While the person at fault should be held accountable, incidents are not reported because of the broader effects on people connected to the abuser and the fencing community. This is particularly relevant when the abuser is in a position of power (high level coach) within the fencing community. Many fencers feel that the fencing community is their primary social circle. Victims would rather keep silent than risk negatively impacting that community by reporting the abuse.”

However, the procedure for SafeSport is evolving. As recently as last year, USOC started processing the complaints external to USA Fencing. Hopefully through this development it will alleviate some of the fear of retaliation and provide an unbiased place to report.

What do you think can be done to limit sexual harassment or assault within fencing?

The most common answer to this question was: EDUCATION. Many thought SafeSport training didn’t do enough, partially because the opinion was that it is not an effective training program, and partially because it’s only required by professional members. The women responding to the survey believe that everyone should have access to the information provided by SafeSport, including parents and athletes, so that predatory behaviors can be spotted long before the issue of assault arises. When it comes to harassment, better education needs to exist as to what constitutes or does not constitute harassment.

“Talk about it more. Identify what it is for young fencers and who they can safely talk to. Hold people accountable. If a fencer is made uncomfortable by another fencer or coach, there is a reason. No matter how wonderful we think the “accused” is.”

Education was also important for informing young fencers on how to set appropriate boundaries. Many of the people who were taken advantage of in this survey were fairly young when the harassment or assault occurred. They felt they did not have the resources to say no, or did not know who they could turn to for help. Better awareness of different places to report: USA Fencing, SafeSport, club owners, parents, legal authorities, etc. is key. It is of note one club owner published a fencing-oriented resource for preventing sexual abuse of minors in the fencing club.

What resources would you like to exist within the fencing community to handle sexual harassment and assault?

“I’d like to see a designated contact person at large tournaments. Like how you can go to the trainer if you’re having a medical problem, you should be able to go to an anonymous councellor [sic] if you’re dealing with a harassment/assault problem. (I’m not sure what the logistics of the anonymity would be.)”

A substantial number of responses advocated for an anonymous reporting tool or system where victims could submit their story. The benefit of such a system is that it would protect reporters from retaliation, and if multiple people reported the same person for harassment or assault, maybe those people could be connected through the system and decide to take the next step of going to SafeSport or legal authorities.

“I think safe sport is a start. But it only seems to apply to an inappropriate coach student relationship. Who do you go to if a coach is being harassed by another coach?”

SafeSport training has a fairly singular focus-the training seems to be more directed at protecting minors from coaches than any other population in fencing from another population in fencing. Women responding to the survey wanted to see SafeSport address more kinds of harassment and abuse with different demographics.

Another suggestion people had was to have a clear, established guideline put out by the national governing body that would highlight all options that a victim would have if something happened, up to and including going to legal authorities. Such a step seems important given the large number of responses that indicated institutional distrust in US Fencing itself.”

“I know so many young girls may not know what to do but they all get the fencing magazine and look at that. Have an article explaining to them what to do, who to contact if they don’t feel comfortable talking to their parents, what to do if its a coach or a parent…or another fencer…be specific… maybe an article interviewing one of the gymnastics olympian girls…. they are so inspirational and if they see someone their own age it might help them. I love the magazine and I just think the it is a great place to inform the younger group.”

Respondents also wanted to see spokespeople come forward from within the sport. Some of the women believed that there had to be female athletes and coaches popular in our sport who have gone through harassment and assault from another fencing community member. While it is difficult to speak out, a few responses illuminated that having such a role model spokesperson in our sport would help others feel comfortable coming forward with their own experiences.

Finally, women want to see more women in professional areas of fencing, such as more female referees and more female coaches. They believed that having women in these positions of authority would help change the culture the most.

Would you want to see training classes beyond SafeSport for women and men in the community on this topic? Mandatory? Optional? What would the content of this kind of class be?

I received such a range of responses to this that I felt it best to share some of the most thoughtful, insightful answers.

“Yes, SafeSport is kind of generic and does not go as deep into the many effects sexual assault may have on a victim. I think holding open classes or video classes that are perhaps mandatory once a year for coaches/high level referees and available as options for fencers or anyone else maybe at NACs and Nationals and/or online.”

“What is SafeSport? I think that is your answer. If some people don’t even know about what is available, we need to do more.”

“Better discussion of what harassment can include. I think that many people do not report harassment because it is so common that it is dismissed as mildly inappropriate behavior that should be overlooked. Also a discussion about power imbalances since there are a lot of situations within fencing where this is the case (coach-athlete, ref-athlete, tournament director-athlete, tournament director-ref).”

“Safe sport was okay. But it would not address the institutional patriarchy with which fencing is rife. I have started trying to educate the boys in my club, because otherwise I see no end to this in the sport.”

“Clubs should has age appropriate classes for kids and parents.”

“Safesport is just a checkbox and hoop we have to jump through. I don’t think anyone takes the course seriously. It’s just a CYA program by USAFencing. Having posters to be mandated to be displayed at clubs. That is a constant reminder of what is okay and what is consent. So athletes and parents are aware and a bold reminder to those who may abuse their position they are doing so knowingly.”

“I’m not sure SafeSport is entirely effective, however I’m also not sure I have better suggestions. In general, having more public-facing education for everyone and preventing these affairs from being kept secretive and/or internal would be better. The more people know this behavior is unacceptable and the more people that are willing to speak up would hopefully give less leeway to those who think they can get away with inappropriate behavior.”

“No. Safesport is useless. Training classes can be cheated. I think that leadership in the community needs to make a stand and enforce an unequivocal standard. Culture doesn’t change unless standards and perceptions change. Education is great, but if the person isn’t receptive and can just get away with cheating the system then it is useless and a waste of time. Currently someone can pass their safesport by playing videos on mute and guessing answers. They don’t have to subscribe to ideals when all they need to do is pass a test. Consequences are the only way to control the behavior.”

“SafeSport is already mandatory for coaches, referees, and those with the +professional membership. I think a refinement of the harassment and assault portions for teens would be a great addition because they’re often times the people who need the help and may not know what to call what’s occurring to them or think it’s normal. I’m not sure if this should be mandatory, but should be easily available.”

“Sure, but I don’t really think it would help. Anyone can take a class and be labeled as okay to work with other people/minors and still be a predator. Sorry to be the voice of apathy, but I speak from experience. The person who took advantage of me is still a beloved and respected member of the community.”

“Children as well need to be educated on what is or is not sexual harassment or assault. Including directing them in who they can confide in besides parent/ guardian, etc.”

“I think safe sport is great for power dynamics but it does nothing for training between peers or strangers.”

What consequences should exist for sexual harassment? What consequences should exist for sexual assault?

“Expulsion from the sport. Lifetime ban. Public execution. What those men did to me have affected my life. I am not the person I could have been; I am angry, bitter, and stressed. I have very little trust for men because of what they said and did.”

The phrases that kept popping up in response to this question were “zero tolerance”, “ban”, and “expulsion.” Generally, the responses made me feel as if people didn’t believe that their national governing organization was taking a hard enough line on harassment and assault in the fencing community. There was very little variability in the answers.

Conclusion

Women are still a significant minority within our sport. Over the 2016-2017 season, the ratio of women compared to men participating in Division 1 non-Championship events in the United States was about at 40-60 split. Women are even less prevalent in the professional roles of coach and referee. Of USA Fencing referees with a rating of 4 or above active over the past 2 years, only 40 of 175 (23%) are female. Of coaches at NCAA schools, only about 20% were female.

Could Sexual harassment and assault have something to do with the lack of women in our sport? It’s a little bit of a Catch-22: maybe women aren’t going into these roles due to sexual harassment and assault, but at the same time, if we had more women in these roles it could help change the culture. Perhaps governing bodies can do more to encourage women to become coaches or referees.

We need to talk more about harassment and assault in fencing. While 60% of women who took this survey have faced harassment, only 60% reported knowing of someone else who has been harassed, even though it is statistically probable that they all know someone who has been harassed. Only a very small percentage of those in my survey reported their abuser through legal avenues or SafeSport. The burden is on the victims to come forward. Fear of retaliation or repercussions is real; however, as a community, we can make it easier for people to come forward with complaints by clearly outlining their options and providing avenues of support. We can address the negative perception of USA Fencing and SafeSport and turn it from one of distrust to one of advocacy. We can work to change a culture that allows perpetrators to get away with harassment or assault by taking action when we see or hear abuse occuring and being willing to believe stories of harassment and assault when victims come forward.

It is important to note that only part of the the fencing population’s input was collected for the purpose of this article. While this survey focused on women, men in the fencing community are also victims of and witnesses to sexual harassment and assault. Often though, men are often in privileged positions to intervene when harassment or assault occurs. Many of the women who were surveyed expressed uncertainty about how to proceed. Engaging the men of fencing as this conversation develops will enable the community to understand how their perception of this issue differs from women’s own view. Broadening the audience of the conversation will empower us to enact necessary change.

Sport should be a refuge, a place where we can safely grow through participation. Harassment and assault have no place here, whether you are competing, refereeing, coaching or more. As one woman put it: ”The fencing environment must be known that it is a safe place….period.”

Part of this survey was giving women a safe space to anonymously share what harassment or assault they had experienced.

This section of the series has given me the most anguish, for a couple of reasons. One, it was hard to know which stories to share. Harassment and assault describe such a broad range of behaviors that cherry picking the most extreme stories might not showcase how broadof a problem this is. Two, while the beginning of the survey warned that any story shared might be used in my report, I didn’t want anyone to face consequences because I published their story and their harasser or abuser found out. Three, if I left out an incident, would that hurt the person who was brave enough to share their story in the first place? These were all issues I struggled with in putting together this report.

Ultimately, I decided to share nearly every response I receivedt o provide the most complete picture of harassment and abuse. I took out any responses I felt were too specific and not anonymous enough. I had well over 100 responses to this part of my survey; those are below. My hope is by retelling these moments, they will serve as an educational tool for raising awareness in our sport, and society. Thank you to all the women who answered my original survey. Thank you for your responses, I truly believe they will help change our sport for the better. If for any reason you see your story and change your mind about having it published, please contact me using an anonymous email address by messaging me at alu@mail.bradley.edu.

The Responses:

“As a teen a coach who was well known for his particular affinity to get grabby with young girls, hugged me and slapped my butt without my consent. I was 15 years old. Said coach also reached out to me through social media and made suggestive comments and requested to get descriptions of what I was wearing or doing.”

“I was young and naive and while ago before Safe sport was even around. It was a coach who offered me a place to stay as I didn’t have a room for an event. Another coach was in the room, so I figured it was fine. He flirted with me and being young, I thought it was fine. He then asked me repeatedly to perform acts on him. I refused. He pushed my head towards him, I froze got scared and felt helpless. I did what he wanted and then felt disgusted and spat out on the side of the bed. I didn’t have another place to go so I stayed there until I could leave the next morning. The other coach heard but did nothing. I cried and felt so humiliated especially since he told me the next morning I had a nice ass and he knew I wanted it despite saying no.”

“A highly suggestive/explicit remark made about my appropriate professional attire.”

“This did not happen to me, but i witnessed it. A coach followed a referee around a competition begging for her number. He refused to take no for an answer, only stopping when some male referees began accompanying her around.”

“I was forcibly touched by an older referee I trusted while at a NAC.

I was coaxed into other situations at other NACs but is it really assault if you give a reluctant, unsure yes after being asked repeatedly and having your “no” or “I’m not sure” be ignored? According to society, it’s not.”

“A coach who was way too handsy despite numerous attempts to get him to back off. Constantly touching me inappropriately to the point that I am still uncomfortable with him in the same room as me which causes great discomfort while reffing since he is from a big club. [It’s] impossible to escape him and do my job. Another time was when I was a minor just breaking into the ref world. Again dealt with advances that I was scared to openly stand up against for fear of losing job opportunities. That same man made many of my friends uncomfortable and I still hear stories of him doing the same things that he did to me over 5 years ago to members of his current team.”

“Being told that I could never be a sabre referee unless I became more feminine.”

“Uncomfortable touching twice at the last event. I was working BC and one of the ref assigners tended to be a bit touchy. Even though it was often just the shoulders, it made me uncomfortable. Also I said I was having a tough day to a referee and he hugged me which was okay but it lasted way too long even when I tried to get away.”

“While I was refereeing, a coach touched my waist as he moved around me from behind. It wasn’t that big a deal, but it made me uncomfortable and it wasn’t necessary for him to get around me.”

“Repeated unwanted passes, despite previously rejecting the same person at other times.”

“In high school, we had a coach who would be sexually explicit towards female students, one in particular, who was 14. I have also heard male coaches make comments on female students looks/bodies in a sexual manner.”

“When I first joined the sport, I entered into a relationship with an older man who was an assistant coach and teammate. It was an abusive relationship and involved instances of sexual assault. At tournament this abuser was frequently put in position of authority over me; reffing me at NACs and regional events, and manipulating our situation for personal gain. He would discredit me to other individuals to discredit my reports of his sexual abuse.”

“A member of the fencing community made suggestive comments about my body on a few occasions.”

“While setting up a tournament, members of my (majority male team) did not let me handle any of the technology, as I “had less experience” (this was not the case). In another instance, a member told me that I could never be captain because I am a woman and women do not have leadership capabilities.”

“A coach actually patted me [sic] ass.”

“Unwanted massages.”

“I was refereeing a tournament where we got to wear casual clothes (shorts/t-shirt) and as I was just standing around waiting for a DE slips to be passed to me, the pod captain slapped my butt with a clipboard and said “nice ass kiddo” I don’t think this would have happened if we had normal referee clothes on.”

“Older men kissing me on the cheek. At the time i was underage, too.”

“Tournament staff member who I had never met before grabbed me in a bear hug. Despite my obvious pushing him away, he then later that same day grabbed my leg while I was leaning against a table and ran his hand up towards the edge of my skirt before I could slap him away.”

“I was fencing abroad when a referee touched my butt without my consent.”

“Grabbed by coaches at an event multiple times, been subjected to verbal insults to women at almost every event.”

“The harassment was when I would use my power as a College Club Fencing President and because I was female the other College Club Fencing Presidents, all male, would call me names or unwontedly touch my arm or back. Luckily it never went beyond that.”

“Nothing ever happened in practice or a tournament, but some things happened at social events with the team. Or people I met through fencing ended up being different people outside of a more public setting. For example, a guy I met on the fencing team grabbed my boob at a party the team was throwing.”

“I’ve encountered verbal harassment throughout my experience in fencing, usually at fencing clubs or clubs events such as camps and clinics.”

“Most of the sexual harassment I receive is verbal. One time a person said to me that if I went to their hotel room I could study for my fie test with them all night long.”

“As an underage referee (age 15) I was asked by an adult male referee if I’d like to accompany him and his friends to a strip club, in which, “I could earn some money”.”

“Unwanted sexual acts within a consensual relationship with someone in the fencing community.”

“Friends making jokes of a sexual nature at my expense that I didn’t understand at the time and only later figured out thanks to the urban dictionary.”

“As an athlete I had my crotch grabbed by a male athlete in high school and the zipper of my lame smoothed by male referees. One had the audacity to reach between my legs to fix the straps of my lame/jacket when I was 14.”

“I was a referee at a high school tournament. A coach, younger but the coach of a team in high school, had a disagreement with me during a match. He came up to me after all the matches in that area and it was just the two of us. He apologized to me, but as he was apologizing he put he hands on my hips and caressed my side. This would not have happened in a million years to a male referee.”

“At a coaching clinic where I was the only woman in the group, the presenter wanted to tell a sexist joke so he patted me on the head and said “don’t get offended” before telling the joke.”

“Rumors about who I have intimate relations with.”

“A coach repeatedly putting his hands on me while explaining how he would like calls made, a coach forcing himself on me past the point of activity I wanted.”

“A teammate who was married exerted himself on me.”

“I was grabbed for an uncomfortable and unwanted hug.”

“In formal setting/organization meeting for a large event

*As the only female on the board

All other members of the committee were greeted with handshakes and proper names

As I rose to shake hands with the committee leader I was briskly grabbed into a close intense (unwanted) embrace and addressed as ‘sweetheart’”

“A very misogynistic teammate would make inappropriate comments at me to discourage me”

“A club mate grabbed me and kissed me on the mouth aggressively without warning.”

“Mostly innuendo under the guise of “good fun”.”

“A lot of the men I have been surrounded by in fencing are older. Many are sweet, but some can push the lines. For example, I have been hit on many times and in joking ways been told that certain men would hook up with me, date me, whatever. It was meant as a joke but when it happens enough times it begins to become very uncomfortable…constantly being reduced to my body sucks. I do not want to be an object for old men to relive their glory days on.

“Grabbed in elevator at event. Forced kissing and groping.”

“During college, I was assaulted while blacked out from alcohol at a fencing party. The assaulter was another fencer. A third fencer left the room and allowed it to happen. My college fencing team also was generally a culture full of harassment and unfriendly towards women and LGBT folks.”

“Mostly inappropriate comments, touching the small of my back, or too long of a hug.”

“My former boss and Head Coach of [fencing club], [Name], has repeatedly harassed me sexually. He would call me “yoga pants” instead of referring to me by name. He would suggest that I sleep with a co-worker repeatedly. He took me out to dinner where he complained about his problems with his wife and it made me feel very uncomfortable.”

“I was 16, extremely depressed, and sexually assaulted by a 25ish year old assistant fencing coach. 6 years later, I took the SafeSport course (I wanted to start teaching beginner fencing). When I got to the section on sexual assault tactics (grooming tactics), I realized he literally did all of those things to me. Not just one, but MANY of those things were exactly what he did.”

“When I was a senior in college, a fencing ref at a collegiate tournament repeatedly commented on my appearance (“your ass makes knickers look good!”, “engaged? That means I still have a chance!”). He was my ref.”

“By peer, unwarranted sexual comments on putting on gear, cornered in areas while stretching. Laughed off as a joke when I explained it made me uncomfortable.”

“A man charged at me screaming ” I’ll poke you in the target area ;)””

“I was coaching at an international event and one of the male referees asked me out, when I declined and noted that I was married he persisted. Difficult to tell him to go fuck himself when he refs my [fencers] all the time. And he had no idea what he was doing was uncool.”

“When I was a teenager, an adult referee provided a group of us alcohol at a NAC hotel party. The referee tried to stay and drink with us. We indicated that we weren’t going to drink at the moment and he should leave. I was sitting on a desk in the hotel room with my legs on the desk chair. On his way out the referee smacked me on the side of my butt and squeezed. As he did this he said “don’t get in too much trouble” and winked at me. I did not feel I could report this because I did not want to get in trouble for drinking.”

“Held down by several male fencers during a practice, sexual comments made by male fencers.”

“Told that my stretching was sexy, I must be getting my body ready for a guy’s dick.

Asked about sexual position preferences.

Told by club’s head coach before practice multiple times.”

“A coach at our club makes comments about my clothes, body, and fencing ability. He spreads rumors about my inability to be a good fencer or coach to poach students from me, and ruin my reputation.”

“A year or so ago, an off-duty referee gave me an unwanted kiss on the cheek to “congratulate” me for earning a medal. In my 20s, one of my coaches made me sit on his lap at some fencing events. Male referees, armorers, and FOC reps often flirted with me and other fencers, and we felt we had to respond politely or else face retaliation. Luckily, I believe that referee ethics overall have improved significantly since then (unwanted kiss notwithstanding).”

“I was never sexually harassed during a fencing tournament/ event, apart from possibly having my butt touched by referees who were checking or changing my body cord. I was harassed by the owner of the fencing club I worked at for 1.5 years on a weekly basis.”

“He has repeatedly told me I need to either gain or lose weight, and commonly grabs or slaps my ass when walking by and makes a comment.”

“I was running a college meet. A college assistant coach (also an FIE ref) came up behind me, grabbed my ponytails, and started talking about how my boyfriend (also a fencer) must enjoy using them as “handles” for oral sex. I did not have an existing friendship with the man. I could have and should have black carded him, but I was 19 and freaked out, I didn’t tell anyone until the next day.

Less than a year later, I watched him use the same tactic on another young woman.”

“I was refereeing CFCs. I bent over to write on the bout sheet. A coach came too close. Whispered in my ear and touched my butt.”

“I was 14, and an 18 year-old male on my team kept coming on to me and told me I was “too pretty to be single” and wouldn’t leave me alone until I gave him my phone number. He continued to contact me for a number of years, sometimes with sexually explicit messages, until I changed my phone number and moved cities.”

“Unwanted hugging, kissing on the cheeks and neck, whispering in my ear in an intimate manner. Some of these occurrences were to me as a minor by an adult coach. Others were once I was an adult coach by the same coach.”

“There was one coach/ref from another club who was much older than me and took a liking to me. The behavior was never threatening, but there were some subtle comments and plenty of looks that made my teammates and friends at other clubs concerned enough to never leave me alone near him. I never felt unsafe, and his behavior was not really concealed that others around me didn’t notice. He did have a reputation as a misogynist as well, and only coached boys, which was probably best.”

“My first fencing coach, who I trained under from the ages of 14-22, engaged in an inappropriate sexual relationship with me, starting with what I now know was “grooming” around the age of 15. He was 25 at the time. I thought it was consensual. I know better now that it was inappropriate, and abusive. Both because of my age, but also because of the power differential. Even as I became older, I gained even less power because the relationship became increasingly abusive. It was a relationship based on fear and power. I only began to understand that within the last several years. I have never taken steps to expose him for this, but I am thinking about it now. I know he has done this to other students (including underage students), and may be continuing to do this.”

“At nationals when I was a young teenager, a friend of mine was sexually assault [sic] by a fellow teenage fencer. We were in a hotel room, so it wasn’t physically at a USFA event. My fear by telling you it was a hotel is that the assumption you may have is to keep better eye on young fencers. The thing that needed to change for that scenario is the culture. She needed to know what happened to her, and who she could talk to.”

“My ex boyfriend made sexual advances towards me at practice.”

“Ex spreading rumors about the ending of our relationship, claiming I had cheated on him with other members of the community. Other people told me it was going on when I noticed people acting weird around me.”

Resources for dealing with sexual harassment and assault

If you are in the US (since most of this survey was US based) the following resources are for you:

RAINN provides a national sexual assault hotline at 1-800-656-4673.

USOC’s SafeSport handles USA Fencing sexual harassment and assault complaints. The representative for USA Fencing from SafeSport is Suzie Riewald, who can be contacted by email at s.riewald@usafencing.org or 719-866-2616. More information on Suzie and SafeSport can be found here.

Scandals of sexual abuse have rocked USA Swimming and USA Gymnastics, it’s not a stretch for us to wonder if USA Fencing has a similar problem which should be investigated and addressed. Sexual harassment and assault have become hot topics in the wake of the #MeToo movement, and we can’t assume fencing is unscathed. At the 2017 Portland NAC referee meeting, sexual harassment and assault were openly discussed and that discussion has spread from the referees to coaches and beyond into the larger fencing community.

In this changing atmosphere, I thought it would be prudent to run a survey for women to try to gain a sense of how prevalent sexual harassment and assault was within our community. Just how many women have been sexually harassed or assaulted by another member of the fencing community? Could we get a snapshot of what is going on within our sport?

Originally, this survey was distributed to my female fencing friends on Facebook with a note asking them to pass on the survey to other women in the sport. After the survey spread through word of mouth and garnered about 85 responses, it was posted to the Facebook page of The Fencing Coach. When the survey closed after being open for a month, it had a total of 218 complete responses.

Survey Demographics

Age

Below is a graph showing the ages of the respondents. 60% of respondents were between the ages of 18 and 35.

Role in Fencing

For this question, respondents could answer what roles they identified with in fencing: Athlete, Coach, Referee, Tournament Staff (Bout committee, armory, medical, etc.), and Other. They were allowed to pick multiple options that fit their roles. Other included parent, fencing club administrator, and club owner.

Time in Sport

This asked how many years the individual had been involved in fencing. Of the women, 50% of respondents have been in the sport 6-15 years.

Country

Even though the survey was written from an American perspective, after it was shared on The Fencing Coach Facebook page, we received international responses. Of the 218 respondents, 177 were from the United States (81%), 14 from Canada, 5 from the United Kingdom, 2 from France, 2 from Ireland, and 1 each from Australia, Denmark, Germany, Indonesia, India, Italy, New Zealand, Poland, Romania and Thailand. The remaining 8 were unknown according to the survey app. While much of the third part of this series focuses on what we can do from an American perspective, I still believe there is merit to including the international responses because it shows that this is a greater problem in fencing, not just within the United States.

Survey Stats on Sexual Harassment

Do you know of someone who has been sexually harassed by another member of the fencing community?

Yes: 125 (57.3%)

No: 93 (42.7%)

Have you been sexually harassed by another member of the fencing community?

Yes: 129 (59.2%)

No: 89 (40.8%)

Did you tell anyone about the sexual harassment?

This question only appeared if the respondent said yes to the previous question, ‘Have you been sexually harassed by another member of the fencing community?’

Yes: 57 (62.6%)

No: 34 (37.4%)

Who did you report the sexual harassment to?

This question only got asked if the respondent said yes to the previous question, ‘Did you tell anyone about the sexual harassment?’ It allowed for the respondent to select multiple responses. Other included club head owner, female Referees’ Commission member, significant other, and high school athletics director.

Survey Stats on Sexual Assault

Do you know of someone who has been sexually assaulted by another member of the fencing community?

Yes: 68 (31.2%)

No: 150 (68.8%)

Have you been sexually assaulted by another member of the fencing community?

Yes: 41 (18.8%)

No: 177 (81.2%)

Did you tell anyone about the sexual assault?

This question only appeared if the respondent said yes to the previous question, ‘Have you been sexually assaulted by another member of the fencing community?’

Yes: 32 (78%)

No: 9 (22%)

Who did you report the sexual assault to?

This question only appeared if the respondent said yes to the previous question, ‘Did you tell anyone about the sexual assault?’ It allowed for the respondent to select multiple responses. Other included high school athletic director and member of the Referees’ Commission ombudsman committee.

How often have you been sexually assaulted in fencing?

This was an open ended question. Responses included “once”, “2”, “5”, “6 times”, “several times by one assistant coach”, “between the ages of 15-22, it was fairly often”, “on a weekly basis by my former coach of 4 years”, “I don’t have an exact number”, and “I prefer not to think quantitatively about this.”

Summary of Stats

The results of this survey substantiate that fencing has a sexual assault problem. Let me be clear: this is not just a sexual harassment problem, but a sexual assault problem, as well.

Three out of five women who responded to this survey have been sexually harassed by another member of the fencing community.

One out of five women who responded to this survey have been sexually assaulted by another member of the fencing community.

Imagine all the women you know in fencing: now apply those statistics to your imagined group. This harassment and assault has occurred within our community and has been perpetrated by members of our community.

Despite statistics collected suggesting only 60% of women know of someone who has been harassed, and 30% know of someone who has been assaulted, it is likely we all know someone who has gone through harassment or assault.

Albert Bandura, the famed psychologist and founder of Social Learning Theory (SLT) posited that our brains go through four mediational processes while learning:

Attention: How one is exposed to and processes a behavior.

Retention: How one remembers the exposed behavior.

Reproduction: How one performs the behavior s/he’s exposed to.

Motivation: How one develops the will to follow and replicate the behavior[1].

In learning Fencing, an athlete can be exposed to a variety of stimuli that cause him/her to adapt a desired behavior into his/her fencing repertoire. While there are many channels that may spur a Fencer’s innovation to expand upon his/her current skillset (e.g. YouTube), none are more important than a Coach and the private lessons s/he provides the athlete.

Private lessons are a (usually) expensive but necessary gateway to Bandura’s mediational processes. In a matter of twenty minutes, the Coach must demonstrate and expose the Fencer to new actions and proper form (Attention). The Coach will refine and correct as necessary until the fencer gets it right (Retention), and after the final salute is given signaling the end of the lesson, the onus of learning is placed upon the Fencer to reproduce the actions in practice bouting (Reproduction) determine which actions work for his/her style, and which actions are better placed on the backburner (Motivation).

So what’s the best way to take both the financial and time investment in a private fencing lesson and waste it away? To leave the club and end the practice immediately after the lesson.

Without an extensive investment of time in practice bouting with a deliberate focus on applying the actions demonstrated by the Coach, a Fencer is bound to stagnate in the phases of attention and retention, failing to understand the proper scenarios to apply the Coach’s teachings.

Operant conditioning tells us that a Fencer is bound to learn through process of consequence. Perhaps a continuously well-executed eight opposition advance-lunge positively reinforces to the Fencer that this action should become a normal part of his/her competition repertoire; conversely, an attempted sweeping six flick may trigger negative reinforcement if the Fencer keeps getting counterattacked to his/her own hand.

Practice bouting is required to innovate on the piste and truly undergo Bandura’s process of learning. Only through application of the Coach’s teaching, trying out new things, and succeeding or failing in bouting will a Fencer advance his/her skills. To leave the salle after the lesson is to waste the investment of the lesson. Stay in the club, keep bouting, and keep failing until you succeed.

]]>https://thefencingcoach.com/2017/10/10/how-to-immediately-waste-a-private-fencing-lesson/feed/0969392_10101703185639203_157572542_ndlehfeldtInfographic: a Parent’s Guide to not Distracting Referees in the Middle of a Fencing Bouthttps://thefencingcoach.com/2017/10/03/infographic-a-parents-guide-to-not-distracting-referees-in-the-middle-of-a-fencing-bout/
https://thefencingcoach.com/2017/10/03/infographic-a-parents-guide-to-not-distracting-referees-in-the-middle-of-a-fencing-bout/#respondTue, 03 Oct 2017 14:13:18 +0000http://thefencingcoach.com/?p=1079
]]>https://thefencingcoach.com/2017/10/03/infographic-a-parents-guide-to-not-distracting-referees-in-the-middle-of-a-fencing-bout/feed/0Picture2dlehfeldtYes, Sports and Politics Do Mix. Get Over It.https://thefencingcoach.com/2017/09/26/yes-sports-and-politics-do-mix-get-over-it/
https://thefencingcoach.com/2017/09/26/yes-sports-and-politics-do-mix-get-over-it/#commentsTue, 26 Sep 2017 14:23:27 +0000http://thefencingcoach.com/?p=1074

When Baron Pierre de Coubertin founded the Modern Olympics, he designed the Olympic Rings to include the colors of every flag of every nation, linked together to symbolize the inclusivity of the games and the idea that national differences could be set aside to engage in the struggle of sport. The Baron was so insistent on peaceful competition, that in the early games, he suggested that no national flags be waved and no national anthems be played to avoid the games becoming shows of nationalistic jingoism.

Though de Coubertin sought a strong demarcation between the affairs of politics and sport, even he acknowledged that sport could not shield us from the strife, injustices, and racial inequalities that existed in the world: “Wars break out because nations misunderstand each other. We shall no have peace until the prejudices which now separate the different races shall have been outlived. To attain this end, what better means than to bring the youth of all countries periodically together for amicable trials of muscular strength and agility?[1]“

In the years that followed the first Modern Olympics in 1896, sports and politics evolved into strange bedfellows, perhaps against the Baron’s best wishes. Just one year before de Coubertin’s death in 1937, Jesse Owens made a powerful statement at the 1936 Berlin Olympics when he—a black man, kicked some Nazi white supremacist ass in front of Hitler himself, winning four gold medals. Hitler made a sorry attempt to politicize the Berlin Games, believing them to be an attestation of the strength of the Aryan race, and with Owens’ victories, Hitler refused to personally hand him his medals. In Albert Speer’s Inside the Third Reich, Speer wrote: “He was highly annoyed by the series of triumphs by the marvelous colored American runner, Jesse Owens. People whose antecedents came from the jungle were primitive, Hitler said with a shrug; their physiques were stronger than those of civilized whites and hence should be excluded from future games.[2]”

Fast forward to the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City. 1968 was perhaps the apex of racial and political tensions in the country. The Vietnam War entered its bloodiest and most violent phase when North Vietnam launched the Tet Offensive into South Vietnam[3]. Just one year prior, in 1967, Muhammad Ali (perhaps the largest political activist in sport history) was sentenced to five years in prison (later overturned) and banned from boxing for three years for refusing to serve in a war he said would force him to “…put on a uniform and go ten thousand miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on brown people in Vietnam while so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs?” In April, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on the balcony of his motel. Two months and one day later, Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, CA.

By the time the 1968 Games kicked off in October of that year, the United States was in a state of divisive political and racial tumult. After winning a Gold and Bronze medal in the 200m dash, Tommie Smith and John Carlos famously raised their fists with a black power salute as the National Anthem played. For their peaceful activism, both were subsequently stripped of their medals. Smith and Carlos shared the podium with Australian Peter Norman who won the silver this year. In solidarity with his fellow medal winners, Norman donned a human rights badge and was banned by his own country from ever participating in the Olympics again (incidentally, Smith and Carlos were both pallbearers at Norman’s funeral when he passed)[4].

There’s a lot of rich history to be explored with sports and politics, but I’d like to fast forward to current events. On September 1, 2016, San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the National Anthem, a controversial move he justified because he was “…not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color..To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.[5]” In the games since Kaepernick’s initial protest, various NFL players joined him in solidarity, including teammate Eric Reid and various members of the Seattle Seahawks.

The collective outrage that unfolded over Kaepernick’s protests was massive. “He’s disrespecting the troops,” some bellowed. “He hates the police” cried others. Tomi Lahren, (who happens to be a real idiot) referred to Kaepernick as a “whiny, indulgent, attention-seeking cry baby.[6]”

The culmination of anti-Kaepernick sentiments came from none other than the President himself this past weekend. At a political rally in Alabama, President Trump stated “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out! He’s fired. He’s fired![7]”

If the President’s words were intended to trigger mass firings of peacefully protesting football players, they had the opposite effect. Hundreds of players and owners (including Jerry frickin’ Jones) responded by kneeling in protest. The Pittsburgh Steelers remained in the locker room during the National Anthem. And the NBA Champion Golden State Warriors decided they weren’t going to make the traditional champion’s visit to the White House.

Many of the Fencing community’s most cherished athletes responded with vigor as well. Daryl Homer, the 2016 Olympic Silver Medalist wrote on his Instagram:

“…I think it’s important today more than ever to say outright that I kneel with [Kaepernick]. I’ve had the privilege of sitting down with John Carlos and hearing first hand about the world he lived in prior to and the repercussions of his action, in Mexico City. Like Kaepernick he was black balled by an establishment, and became a social pariah. He has since in hindsight become an image of African American (& American) strength, principle, and fortitude. Today (and everyday) it’s important for each of us to take a stand in our own way. I don’t and have never followed the NFL. If you do I’m not knocking you just imploring you to stay woke/ think about the systems these organizations (or ones like them) have put into place/ and find your own form of activism to help combat them. It feels far away at times but let’s not forget that these are the same systems people of color battle daily in economic, professional, athletic, and personal areas of our lives.”

Race Imboden, a 2x Olympian and Olympic Bronze Medalist wrote that he had “Been to the White House 2 times. One of the greatest honors of being an Olympian. If I make another team under Trump. I won’t be attending.” His teammate Alexander Massialas chimed in: “I’ve been to the White House twice as well but I can’t stand behind bigotry and hate. #UnitedWeStand.”

Sharing these powerful statements on my page, I was amused horrified by some of the responses. Here’s a few of them:

“Your an asshole and I hope you never make another them for the USA….” First of all, the word is “you’re,” and why does it always seem like these wingnuts use excessive amounts of ellipses?

“You are an idiot just like all the other snow flakes.” Wut.

And perhaps my favorite: “Could we stay out of politics!? There is so much to say and discover about fencing.”

No. We can’t “stay out of politics.” If you haven’t figured it out, politics and sport belong together. They always have. Sports are the ultimate platform for facilitating social change and starting national conversations when our nation’s leaders fail to (or fail to do so tactfully). It wasn’t the President of the Côte d’Ivoire, Laurent Gbagbo who ended five years of a brutal civil war in the country; rather, Soccer star Didier Drogba who succeeded in urging his fellow countrymen to lay down their arms after the team made the 2006 World Cup finals[8]. Ali gave voice to the brutality and immorality of the Vietnam War in his conscientious objection to participating. John Carlos and Tommie Smith empowered the voiceless in a time when the voiceless needed it perhaps more than ever. Kaepernick kneeled, seeking a similar outcome.

What you’re seeing now, with the involvement of Daryl Homer, Ibtihaj Muhammad, Race Imboden, and Aleander Massialas isn’t a bastardization of sport. It’s a continuation of a tradition as old as time. Get over it, and perhaps, join them in solidarity.

]]>https://thefencingcoach.com/2017/09/26/yes-sports-and-politics-do-mix-get-over-it/feed/3Capture1dlehfeldtFencing is not a Combat Sport—and that’s a Good Thinghttps://thefencingcoach.com/2017/09/13/fencing-is-not-a-combat-sport-and-thats-a-good-thing/
https://thefencingcoach.com/2017/09/13/fencing-is-not-a-combat-sport-and-thats-a-good-thing/#respondWed, 13 Sep 2017 20:16:15 +0000http://thefencingcoach.com/?p=1067

Brain cell loss bad. Fencing good. Photo by Andrew Rauner.

Sometime after I graduated college, I had a quarter-life fencing burnout crisis and decided to take a break from the sport. Boxing, I thought, would be a fun sport to learn. It involves a similar emphasis on footwork, speed, distance control, and strategy, and I loved watching it growing up.

When I got into the ring to fight for my first time, I was reminded of an old Mike Tyson quote: “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face.” Each time I dropped my left while bringing back a jab, I was popped in the nose. When I tried to weave under a punch and didn’t get low enough, my head got battered like a drum from a well-delivered left hook. When I stood too square to my opponent, I took a good pummeling to my stomach.

I came out of the ring after that fight with two takeaways: that I sucked at boxing, and that there were consequences for getting hit, including a broken nose and some lost brain cells.

There’s a real danger to competing in sports like boxing, MMA, or any other actual combat sport[1]. Stay in one of these sports long enough, and you expose yourself to heightened risk of CTE or other forms of brain trauma triggered by repeated blows to the head.

“Combat sport” is an amorphously defined term. Most would agree there’s an individual component them. Some would agree that the objective of a combat sport is to disable one’s opponent. And I would add one more criteria: there must be physical consequence inherent to the sport (not as an incidental byproduct of participation).

Fencing, by origin, is a combat sport for obvious reasons. People used swords in war, in dueling, and as a means of self-defense. If you lost a duel, death was a possible result, and getting mauled by a sharp blade was a probable outcome. Earlier literature on sport Fencing instruction, including L’Escrime by J.J. Renaud include sections on wound treatment and care following a duel.

To the benefit of the sport, it has long since moved on from its more violent genesis; in fact, it has a lower injury rate than Badminton and Table Tennis[2]. For those utilizing compliant gear, a contusion from a strong hit is about the worst consequence of partaking in a bout. That’s a tangible upgrade over death or a mortal wound.

The difference between Fencing and combat sports like Boxing or MMA, is that Fencing is a sport for all ages. Fencing’s veteran divisions go up to 70 and above, as it’s a sport you can continue to partake in with continuing benefits to one’s health and wellness, and it’s commonplace to see multiple generations participating together.

The same cannot be said of Boxing or any sport that involves brain smacking. If you know of any AARP eligible citizens partaking in a form of combative pugilism, may God have mercy on their souls and their medulla oblongatas.

Fencing and safety are concepts that go hand in hand. The same cannot be said of combat sports, where the objective can include knocking someone unconscious, choking them out, or bending their appendages to force them to submit. Fencing is a community-oriented sport for all ages. The brutality associated with its history is long behind us. I left boxing behind in my twenties. I look forward to continuing to SAFELY compete in my thirties, forties, fifties, sixties, seventies, eighties, nineties, and into my 100’s when Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk figure out how to turn us into mechanized cyborgs.

]]>https://thefencingcoach.com/2017/09/13/fencing-is-not-a-combat-sport-and-thats-a-good-thing/feed/010392198_1164537238510_6732075_ndlehfeldtThe Black Card as a Last Resorthttps://thefencingcoach.com/2017/09/12/the-black-card-as-a-last-resort/
https://thefencingcoach.com/2017/09/12/the-black-card-as-a-last-resort/#commentsTue, 12 Sep 2017 15:17:01 +0000http://thefencingcoach.com/?p=1061In a previous post, I quipped about “Tales of Epic Black Cards,” which was a collection of horror stories from various referees where they had to resort to pulling out the dreaded black card (my favorite from my friend Kevin Shanahan, who shared with me a scoresheet signed “this ref stinks”).

To everyone not named Diego Occhiuzzi, a black card is fencing’s scarlet letter, an offense reserved only for the most grievous transgressions in the sport. They’re serious, they lead to shocked silence to spectators witnessing them, and they are often permanently tarnishing to the personal brand of the recipient. They should always be a last resort.

After a recent ROC I refereed, I joined a few of my friends for a few pints, and naturally, we began to share “battle stories.” At one point, I turned to Mary Frye and asked her what her most crazy black card story was. “I’ve never given one,” she replied. Those of us at the bar were shocked.

Mary has (and continues to be) one of the country’s best referees and organizers, and someone I’ve always considered a mentor. No black cards in a decades-long career as a ref? None? Mary explained her belief that almost every tense situation could be deescalated, and if the referee established control of his/her piste, s/he needn’t worry about the tomfoolery that can lead to these kinds of cards.

That’s not to say every black card is unavoidable. Temper can explode in the heat of a narrow loss, and with a loss of temper, even the best of fencers can lose control of their emotions in a way that referees can’t proactively nip in the bud. There are often times when there really is no other option but to draw the dreaded card.

However, sifting through the comments on my page and forums (and when I occasionally visit the den of trolls that is FNet), budding referees will view the black card as an antagonistic defense mechanism like lawmen with their fingers on the trigger of a gun. One of my readers recently wrote: “I usually don’t allow parents to even approach me…Let alone question me.” Another reader responded: “That parent better watch out. I may have my fingers on a black card.”

I use these examples not to single these readers out, but to provide an illustration of the broader mentality some referees may have when it comes to black cards, as well as the referee’s relationship with spectators, coaches, and athlete. The referee is expected to be an invisible and objective arbiter of the piste who maintains order and enforcement of the rules throughout the bout. To operate with a card-first, ask questions later mentality is to make the referee a third player in the bout, when it is intended to be about the two men/women in combat on the piste.

All referees may experience a time when the black card must be shown. It may even happen for someone like Mary one day. But if and when she pulls one out, all other avenues will have been exhausted. It’s a standard we should all follow.

The Federation Internationale d’Escrime (FIE) often resembles a hyperactive cat distracted by a laser pointer. Each year, ambitious new rule changes are proposed that hold neither the support of the fencers impacted, nor the referees enforcing them. Last year, we piloted the now defunct “Russian Box of Death” proposal that set the Sabre en garde lines closer, and a few years ago, the FIE toyed with the idea of shortening epee bouts to three two-minute periods. Neither came to fruition.

But a new non-combativity rule proposal awaiting final approval from the FIE stands to fundamentally change Epee as we know it, and not in a particularly intuitive or intelligent way. Fencing.net has provided a nice summary of the rule change, which I’ve quoted below:

Priority is now determined before the start of a bout.

There is now a 45 second “shot clock” that is reset after a touch is scored.

If no touch is scored at the end of the “shot clock”, the bout is halted, the fencer with priority is awarded a touch, priority switches to the other fencer, and the fencers are reset.

Every time a touch is scored (double touches included), the “shot clock” is reset and priority switches to the other fencer.

Priority also changes if the score is tied at the last touch of the bout (for example, 4-4 in a pool bout) and a double touch occurs.

If there are only 45 or fewer seconds left in a bout, priority no longer changes.

Epee Direct Elimination bouts will be fenced to 10 minutes with 1 minute breaks at 5 and 10 points,similar to saber’s break at 8.

At the heart of the proposal’s problem is the complication of priority. With the current rules in place, the idea of priority is only introduced if and when a bout is tied when time expires, or if non-combativity is called in the third period. The Fencer who isn’t rewarded priority is compelled to score a touch within the minute allotted. If s/he chooses to remain passive and let the minute expire, s/he loses the bout.

With the new proposal, before the referee has even called “allez!” for the first time, priority looms over the fencers’ heads and changes hands like a server and returner in a tennis match. Perhaps to the detriment of active fencing, the proposal seems to eliminate periods ending (with no one minute break) at the call of non-combativity, which could lead to more defensive-minded fencers approaching bouts with an even more passive mentality than the current rules allow for (until the final five or so seconds of the shot clock).

The constant switching of priority could become difficult to keep track of, as now the fencer and referee must be wary of it after every touch for the first 135 seconds of a period. And with the addition of one minute breaks for 5 and 10 touch intervals, the proposal stands to take NAC events that are already divided into two days and make them even longer.

Olympian Max “The Lord of Backflick” Heinzer had a lukewarm reception to the proposal, praising how it drives fencers to action while expressing concerns about impacts on viewership: “Today, a fencing match is like a tie break in tennis and the better fencer isn’t always the winner,” Heinzer said. “With the new regulation, I find it good that it is no longer just enough to stay on the defensive. Now, you have to be able to attack several times per bout. Nevertheless, it becomes harder to understand for the viewer with the many rules introduced.” Heinzer shared with me some of his creative ideas to improve epee fencing, including elimination of the double touch, having touches appear visibly on a fencer’s jacket when scored, and making epee bouts like sets in a tennis match.

New rules for the sake of rules aren’t good rules at all. The FIE made the right decision in introducing non-combativity to begin with, they made the right decision in eliminating penalty cards for non-combativity, and they made the right decision in eliminating the 15-seconds of no blade contact provision. The next logical progression would be to introduce the shot clock idea. The rest of the proposal, is malarkey. Let’s see how they vote on it in the coming weeks.